Unexpected Ties
by Aura Mackenzie
Summary: Back in Animaria, Merrick Baliton protected Princess Shayla. When the final battle with the Orgs came she gave him a letter from her pupil, Caelia, that gave Merrick more incentive to somehow survive this battle of impossible odds. So, with Princess Shayla and the 5 Power Zords in the Animarium, will Merrick, Shayla, and her pupil ever be reunited? When will it happen?
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

 **Author's Note: This story is a cross between Wild Force and Dino Thunder.**

 **3,000 Years Ago:**

 _Life in the Kingdom of Animaria had always been peaceful. The powerful animals lived in peace with the humans they shared the land with. Princess Shayla ruled the land with kindness and grace. People of the kingdom danced and praised the mighty animals. Most of all, the land was well taken care of. There was no pollution, just beauty._

 _As was the norm, Merrick Baliton was with Princess Shayla. He was one of the six mighty protectors of Animaria should anything ever actually happen. If that were to happen, he was to protect the Princess. In the meantime, it gave him a good reason to spend time with the woman he realized he had deep feelings for without question. They were on their way to honor the noble deer. Every day he played the flute as Shayla sang to him. It kept him happy._

 _Elsewhere in the woods, Caelia Baliton, Merrick's little sister was singing to the mischievous Bear Brothers. Caelia liked spending time with the black and polar bears that, while total opposites, would do anything for each other. She thought they were a lot like herself and Merrick. He was duty-bound, would almost never break a rule, which was why he barely acted on his feelings towards Princess Shayla. Caelia, on the other hand, she was always testing her limits. She got away with a lot between Merrick being Princess Shayla's personal protector and the fact that she herself was Shayla's pupil and confidant. Princess Shayla had been teaching her more about music for a few years while she taught her more and more about the different animals and their personalities. If she wasn't with Shayla and Merrick had a little time, he had taught Caelia to fight. It wasn't really proper or allowed, but he wanted her to know on the off-chance something bad did happen one day in Animaria._

 _Leaving the Bear Brothers, Caelia started making her way to do her normal chores. She cleaned the home that she shared with Merrick as well as cooked the evening meal. It was something she had just started doing and it had become her routine. Merrick had always taken care of her. The spirits of the universe had seen fit to take their mother when Caelia was born. They had taken their father when she was only nine lunar years. Merrick had taken care of her mostly on his own since. Caelia believed Princess Shayla took her on as a student and confidant so Merrick didn't have to take care of Caelia alone._

 _As she entered their home, Caelia started making the evening meal, making more than enough for her and Merrick. Sometimes, he invited Princess Shayla over before leaving her for the night. If he didn't, they shared whatever they didn't eat with anyone who was hungry. It was just how things worked in Animaria. Everyone took care of each other._

 _A little while later, not long before the evening meal was ready, as Caelia finished cleaning, Merrick returned home with Princess Shayla._

" _Princess Shayla," Caelia greeted her, bowing in respect, "as always, it is an honor to have you join us for our evening meal."_

" _How did things go with the Bear Brothers today, Caelia?" Shayla asked her, as she made her way over to hug her._

" _Interesting, as always. I love spending time with them. I mean, I love all the animals here in Animaria, but I feel like I connect more with the Bear Brothers."_

" _You'll have to explain to me why during our next lesson. I'd love to hear why," Shayla replied, smiling as she looked between the Baliton siblings._

" _Of course, Princess," Caelia smirked. "Excuse me for a moment."_

 _Caelia went outside where Merrick kept a fresh supply of water. Pulling a ladle of water out, she poured it over her hands, removing the dust from them before going back inside. She removed the stew she had prepared from the fire, placing it on the stone floor. Retrieving bowls and spoons, setting them on the table, before getting goblets for the wine Merrick had for Shayla's visits, Caelia finally retrieved the large pot of stew itself._

" _Our evening meal is served," she told Merrick and Shayla._

" _It smells delicious, Caelia. As always, thank you for cooking this meal for us," Merrick, who never spoke much in general, said to his little sister, giving her a hug._

" _This is wonderful, Caelia. Your meals are always a pleasant event for me," Princess Shayla said as Merrick held her seat for her and settled her down at the table._

" _Thank you, Princess," Caelia said._

 _Merrick took the bottle of wine and poured it into all of the goblets. The night was an interesting one. When it was over, Merrick walked Princess Shayla back home. Things were quiet in the Kingdom of Animaria, just like the humans, the animals, and even the great Animus, a Megazord that seemed to rule over all the animals in Animaria, who were also zords, liked it._

 _Things didn't stay that way for long. People and even the animals started noticing toxic puddles starting to appear in the kingdom. It made some people sick. The animals tried to help as much as they could, but it kept getting worse. Understanding something big must be coming, the six warriors started training even harder. Plans were put in place as to what to do with Princess Shayla to protect her in case of an emergency. And, unknown to Merrick, Princess Shayla was making plans to keep Caelia safe._

" _You realize things are getting bad, don't you, Caelia?" she asked her._

" _I do, Princess. The toxins keep appearing. We can't find the source. Something is doing this to Animaria and eventually it will show its ugly face."_

" _You are right. I know they have a plan to keep me safe. Whether I like it or not, Merrick will have to carry out that plan," Shayla said, rubbing the necklace Merrick had given her. "Now, I want to protect you. I will not let Merrick lose you, like the two of you lost your parents. He is a warrior. Neither of us can stop him from fighting. We can give him peace of mind by keeping you safe. He worries so much for you Caelia. You are his world."_

" _Tell me what you need me to do, Princess."_

 _They began planning. Shayla began teaching Caelia more advanced magic than what she had already taught her. She hoped Caelia would never have to use it, but she feared she would barely have the time to master it before she would need it._

 _A small attack happened. Things called Orgs attacked Animaria while Princess Shayla, Merrick, and Caelia were out with the deer. The five warriors that held the Crystal Daggers were able to fight them off, but now the people of Animaria knew what they were facing. Whatever had created the Orgs was behind the toxins._

 _Merrick began to worry. The attack wasn't far from the home he shared with his sister. According to the other warriors, these Orgs were quick, and some had dangerous powers. His duty was to the Princess, but he knew his sister was not one to flee a battle. He had taught her to fight and Princess Shayla had taught her magic. How could he carry out the duty he was sworn to do when his sister was in just as much danger?_

 _Princess Shayla eased Merrick's mind by keeping Caelia close to her for her lessons instead of sending her off to study some of the animals independently. So the three of them were spending more time together. While they did, he realized that even though Caelia was Princess Shayla's confidant, when it was time for her lessons she paid very close attention to everything the Princess tried to instill in her. It made him proud to see that there were times that his little sister was serious._

 _Days had gone by in Animaria without another appearance from the Orgs. The pollution was still appearing in random places, making people sick, but no attacks. Princess Shayla had told Caelia to stay home to practice some important things she had taught her, which made Merrick suspicious since they had been staying close to each other and Caelia's lessons had never been a secret to him before. When Merrick returned home at the end of the day, he found Caelia outside, leaning on a tree, looking pale and very ill. He rushed to her._

" _What happened to you, Caelia?"_

" _I came outside to get fresh water. I thought I heard an unfamiliar noise, not one of the animals, in the woods somewhere back here. When I came over to check, that was there," Caelia said, pointing._

 _Merrick looked where his sister was pointing. It was a puddle of the toxins. It was maybe thirty feet behind their home. The toxin was on Caelia's foot. Merrick ran to the fresh water they had, bringing some to wash it off her foot._

" _I'll make sure you get better, Caelia. I promise."_

 _He tried to pick her up but suddenly the Bear Brothers were on either side of Caelia. Merrick bowed to the bears and backed up. As he did, he bumped into Princess Shayla._

" _Princess… I…" Merrick started._

" _I got here as soon as the Bear Brothers told me what happened to Caelia. They want to help her, Merrick."_

" _Can they?" he asked._

" _She looks bad, but they seem confident. We have nothing to lose by letting them try."_

 _Merrick nodded. The Bear Brothers got up on their hind legs, making them taller than Caelia, who looked like she did not have much time left, slumped against the tree. Merrick couldn't understand all of the animals the way Princess Shayla or even his sister could, so he didn't know what was going on. After a minute, a bright yellow glow appeared between the two bears. A few minutes after that, Caelia looked like herself again. She could even stand up, and once she did, she hugged the Bear Brothers._

" _Thank you guys," Caelia said to the bears. "I am really grateful you came to my aid."_

 _Merrick observed silence between his sister and the bears._

" _I promise, I will try to spend time with you soon."_

 _The bears rubbed against her, nuzzling her, and then returned to the woods._

" _Merrick, Caelia, I insist that you stay with me," Princess Shayla said suddenly._

" _Princess, we can't," Merrick protested._

" _I insist, Merrick. You are my protector, Caelia is my confidant and pupil. As things are obviously getting more dangerous, it is safer for you to be closer to me. And as for Caelia, as things get more dangerous, I want my confidant at my side," Shayla replied._

" _Merrick, this is the Princess' decision that she insists we carry out, in part to keep her safe. How, as a knight and her sworn protector, can you try to deny her this request?" Caelia asked her brother._

 _Merrick looked between Shayla and Caelia. He knew he lost._

" _Fine. Of course we will graciously accept your offer, Princess Shayla," he said, bowing to her._

 _Caelia hugged Shayla. "Thank you," she whispered in her ear._

" _Anything for you two. I'm glad the Bear Brothers are so bonded to you that they came to me to help you," she whispered back before letting her go._

 _The three made their way back to Princess Shayla's castle, where she ensured they were comfortable before she herself went to sleep for the night. She didn't know that once he was sure the Princess would not leave her chamber, Merrick went to Caelia._

" _Caelia, are you sure you're alright?" he asked, sitting next to his sister._

 _Caelia rolled over to look at her brother. She could see he was still scared of how he found her. He would never show that panic in front of Shayla, but Caelia could see it._

" _Merrick," she said, as she pulled herself up to a sitting position and took her brother's hand, "I love you. And I know how much you love me. You've taken such good care of me since we've lost our father. I'm sorry I made you worry so much today. I didn't mean to. But please, don't worry about me so much now. The Bear Brothers are quite powerful and they healed me."_

" _You are so important to me, Caelia. If I had lost you today…" Merrick began._

 _Caelia hugged her brother._

" _Hush, Merrick. You didn't lose me. I'm safe. It's you and me. We'll make it through all of this. Even if we get separated, we'll find each other after the battle."_

" _What do you mean, 'separated'?" Merrick asked, pulling away from Caelia so he could look her in the eyes._

" _You don't want me on the field of battle with you, do you?"_

" _Of course not! I want you somewhere safe if these Orgs come back and things get worse than they've been."_

" _This is why I said, even if we get separated in battle, we will find each other again. I promise, Merrick."_

 _Merrick hugged Caelia to him again. Internally he hoped that he would see her again if things did escalate into a great battle. At the same time, Caelia internally hoped Merrick would forgive her for the strategy she and the Princess had devised._

 _Princess Shayla began leaving the castle for shorter periods, only for a few hours a day, usually in the afternoon. In the mornings, Merrick would go train with the other warriors so they were prepared for any other Org attacks. While he was gone, Caelia and Shayla would work on the magic Caelia would need in case things got bad._

 _A few weeks past and the Orgs started attacking. Nothing major at first, things that Merrick and the five great warriors were able to handle with ease. But they were coming more frequently. Shayla and Caelia were spending more time in the castle so Merrick could fight without worrying over them._

" _A greater battle will come soon, I'm afraid, Caelia," Shayla said to her as she looked out at the kingdom, which was under attack._

" _I know. I can feel it and so can the animals. There's nothing that can be done to stop it. It will come."_

" _You should write Merrick a note, Caelia, to explain what you're going to do when that battle inevitably comes. When I am brought to the temple for safety, I will give it to him while you go do the spellwork."_

 _Caelia nodded at the Princess. She sat down at a table with a piece of paper and a quill. It wasn't easy, but she started the letter to Merrick. When she was done, she rolled the letter tight and took the ring that had been on a string necklace from around her neck. It had been her mother's and she'd had it all her life. She wrapped the string around the letter with the ring dangling off of it. Merrick would know that this came directly from her because she'd never taken it off before. After explaining the meaning of the ring to Princess Shayla, she left the letter in her care, hoping that when this all ended all three would be reunited once more._

 _The time had come. Not only was there a major attack of powerful Orgs, but the most powerful Org of all, Master Org, attacked Animaria. They attacked everyone and everything in the kingdom. The five warriors with the Crystal Daggers held off the attack while Merrick, who had initially been fighting with them, left to find Princess Shayla. He found both the Princess and Caelia under attack by Orgs, with Caelia trying to protect Shayla. Merrick jumped in and saved them both, even though his sister had been doing a good job on her own._

" _Caelia, get to safety! I have to take the Princess to the temple in the Valley of the Wild Zords!" Merrick shouted over the chaos that had erupted in the kingdom._

 _Caelia hugged her brother._

" _I promise you, I will be safe, Merrick. The Princess will explain soon. I love you, Merrick," Caelia whispered in his ear before she kissed his cheek and ran off._

 _Merrick didn't notice that she had not been wearing their mother's ring around her neck when she left and he was confused by what she said. He shook his thoughts of Caelia off after a split second and focused on Princess Shayla. He grabbed her by the hand and started leading her towards the temple._

" _We're putting you into an suspended sleep, until you and the Power Animals are needed again, Princess. The valley and temple will be lifted into the air where you will be safe from harm," Merrick explained as he tried to get her to lay down so he could leave, but Shayla stopped him._

" _Merrick, wait! I need to give this to you! It's from Caelia."_

 _Princess Shayla handed him Caelia's letter and he looked at it, recognizing the ring his sister had always worn around her neck, their mother's ring._

" _Where did you get this ring, Princess?"_

" _Caelia used it when she sealed the letter so you would know she wrote it. Please, before you put me into this sleep and send me into the skies so you and the other warriors can fight without fear for my safety, read this."_

 _Merrick untied his mother's ring from the letter and began to unroll it._

 _Meanwhile, Caelia had met up with the Bear Brothers deep in the woods already._

" _Alright, Boys, show me the way to where I need to work this," she said to the bears._

 _The Black Bear insisted she get on his back and she did. The two bears started running away from Animaria. Caelia sent part of her spirit to comfort and protect Merrick, while her heart hurt that she was going to be so far from both her brother for the first time in her life. Still, she knew Merrick would be in her heart, especially until she would be back in his arms. Instead of focusing on the sadness of them being apart, Caelia returned her focus to the task at hand._

 _As Merrick got the letter unrolled he immediately recognized Caelia's writing. He began to read:_

My Dear Brother Merrick,

This is the most difficult thing for me to write and it will be difficult for you to hear. Princess Shayla and I understand your duties as a knight of Animaria and as her royal protector. If you are reading this, Brother, then the attacks with the Orgs have gotten bad enough that the Princess is being brought to the Temple in the Valley of the Wild Zords for her protection. You know that Shayla, who I know you care deeply for, will be safe there. That leaves me, and that is why I am writing this letter to you, Merrick.

I do not want to burden your mind as you need to face these battles. You are a brave and fierce warrior, as fierce as any wolf. So, Shayla and I have come up with a plan to keep me safe. When you bring Shayla to the Temple, I will meet the Bear Brothers deep in the woods. They will take me somewhere safe and help me perform the most advanced magic I have ever performed. The Bear Brothers have agreed to be my guardian until I no longer need one or keep me hidden if they can no longer carry the duty out until you and I can be reunited.

I am in great hands with the Bear Brothers protecting me, Merrick. They are very loyal and protective of me, they won't let any harm come to me. So please, as you face this battle, do it with a clear mind that both Shayla and I are safe. I love you so much, Merrick, and I hope you can forgive me for doing this without telling you. Hopefully, when this is all over, Princess Shayla, yourself, and I can reunited and live peacefully in Animaria again. Until we are reunited again, my spirit will be with you and you will be in my heart.

With my Greatest Love, Brother,

Caelia

 _Merrick stared at the letter for another minute before looking at Princess Shayla._

" _What is Caelia running off to do?" he asked her, ignoring the protocols of how to properly address her for the first time._

" _She's safe, Merrick. I taught her how to enter a suspended sleep. The Bear Brothers will watch over her until it is safe for her to awaken, which will be when it is time for the two of you to be reunited."_

" _So my sister is being watched over by Wild Zords until I can find her? And you thought I shouldn't know this? I've taken care of her for almost half of her life."_

" _Merrick, she will be safe. I promise you that, otherwise I wouldn't have done this. I would have found another way to keep her safe. When this war is over, when you are free fighting these Orgs, Caelia will awaken and you will be reunited."_

" _Yes, Princess," Merrick said, as he gave her a still bow, turned and left._

 _Merrick returned to the other five warriors. Together, they cast the spells that lifted the Temple and the Valley of the Wild Zords into the air and that would put Princess into a suspended sleep until they were needed again. Once that was done, their sole focus was the battle with the Orgs and Master Orgs._

 _Caelia had felt like they had been running forever. When they finally stopped, she searched their new surroundings and found food for herself and the Bear Brothers. She fed them first, grateful for their help in the plan to keep her safe. After the three had eaten, Caelia prepared the supplies for the spells from her satchel. Once she was ready, the Bear Brothers came closer to her sides._

 _Back in Animaria, the battle waged fiercely on. The warriors and Merrick were handling the lesser Orgs with relative ease. However, the slightly more powerful Orgs, the ones that seemed to be leadership below Master Org, were harder to face. On top of that, Master Org seemed impossible to stop. So many had already been destroyed. It was impossible to keep track of where the Animal Zords were. Still, Merrick and the warriors pressed on. It was when Master Org destroyed Animus that Merrick knew that something drastic needed to be done._

 _As he ran to the Ancient City, he knew what he was risking, he knew there was a possibility it was all for a legend and if it wasn't, he'd be guaranteeing giving his life over to a powerful curse. But he was willing to risk the curse if it meant stopping Master Org and the other Orgs. So, knowing that the relic he was looking for, a cursed wolf mask with great power, was in the Ancient City, Merrick entered the city to search for it._

 _Deep in the Ancient City he found the den of Master Org's General, Nayszor… and the cursed wolf mask of Zen-Aku. Merrick was immediately drawn in by the power of the mask. General Nayzor showed up just as he was looking at the wolf mask, telling him he had made a mistake before he tried to attack him. Merrick dodged the attack and got out of the Ancient City._

 _When he was clear of the Ancient City, knowing that Princess Shayla and the five Power Animals were safe ion the Animarium, and trusting in Princess Shayla, the Bear Brothers, and his sister that Caelia was safe, he did what he had to do. He put on the mask of Zen-Aku, activating it, and letting the power run through him. With this new evil power, he received new Animal Zords._

 _Caelia finished her spells. She knew they had been done right because she could feel how exhausted she was suddenly, like she could sleep forever. Before she gave in to the feeling she rubbed the Bear Brothers' heads._

" _Thank you, my friends. You will always mean the world to me. I hope we will still be able to be together when I am awake again," she said to them, before kissing each on their head._

 _The spells overwhelmed her then, and she fell to the ground, hitting her head on a rock as she did. Her injury would not be fatal, however, because she had already fallen into a suspended sleep. The Bear Brothers gently grabbed her shoulders in their jaws and moved her away from where the spell had been done. Then they curled up on either side of her, to make sure her body stayed warm._

 _Merrick called on his new zords, the Wolf, the Alligator, and the Hammerhead Shark Dark Wild Zords. Combined, they formed the Predazord, which he then used to face off against Master Org. Merrick used the powerful Predator Wave from the Predazord and it destroyed Master Org, but it was when Zen-Aku, the Wolf Duke Org whose spirit had been trapped in the mask, started to take control of his mind. Merrick knew he didn't have long before he lost the fight to keep control of himself to the Org._

 _Returning to the other warriors, the finished the battles. What Orgs they did not destroy went deep into hiding in fear of their lives. When it was over, he turned to his friends for help._

" _Please, I used the Wolf Mask to destroy Master Org and now I can't remove it. It's turning me evil. You have to destroy me before it makes me destroy you," Merrick said, struggling to keep control of his mind and actions._

" _No, we will not harm a friend," one of the warriors said, as Merrick collapsed into his arms._

" _You don't understand. I can't control it much longer," Merrick explained, hoping they'd understand, as he struggled back to his feet._

 _He writhed in pain as he fought to keep Zen-Aku from taking complete control of him. He could feel Caelia's spirit around him and it was what had helped him fight off Zen-Aku for as long as he had. But Zen-Aku was even starting to prevent Merrick from feeling Caelia, making it harder to fight him without the resolve his free-spirited little sister always gave him. Finally, he stopped feeling Caelia, Zen-Aku completely blocked Merrick and her from each other, and Zen-Aku won the battle of control of Merrick's body… and attack the five warriors._

 _The five warriors had no choice. They had to defend themselves, even if it wasn't by choice. Merrick was their friend, but he was possessed by a dangerous evil that needed to be dealt with in some manner. They attacked him just enough to throw him off-balance. Then they plunged their Crystal Daggers into the ground, which created a glowing circular barrier around him._

" _Forgive us, Friend. But your sacrifice has saved us all," one of the warriors said, as all five held their hands out, causing the circular barrier to turn to a flame barrier. "But we have no choice."_

 _When the flames cleared, Merrick/Zen-Aku were sealed in a stone coffin, not dead, but in stasis._

" _Sleep peacefully forever, Merrick," one of the warriors said, as chains wrapped around the coffin, which was then buried deep in the earth._

 _As he was being buried in the coffin, Merrick's thoughts broke past Zen-Aku._ "I'm sorry, Caelia. Please forgive me for failing you and the Princess." _Finally, everything was darkness around him, not even Zen-Aku's voice was in his head._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

 **3,000 Years Later:**

Turtle Cove:

The Wild Force Rangers had just destroyed Zen-Aku's mask, breaking his hold on Merrick. However, when they tried to get him to join their team, he left them. After everything he had done since he had put on that mask, he had disgraced himself as a knight, attacking his fellow warriors, leaving them no choice but to imprison him. Now these Rangers, who held his long-gone friends' Crystal Daggers, saved him after he had been trying to destroy them. He had stolen some of their zords and turned them into Dark Wild Zords… Including the Bear Brothers, which brought one thought to Merrick's mind... Caelia. If these Rangers had the Bear Brothers, where was his sister?

Weeks went by, but Merrick could not bring himself to go to the Animarium or see Princess Shayla. Instead, he decided to make his own way in this new world he found himself in, eternally the lone wolf. He helped the Rangers when they needed him, always feeling their need of him on the wind and going to them, but he wouldn't actually declare himself part of the team. One day, he found that the Rangers needed him to go to the Animarium. The deer zord was needed and had returned, but would not help them. Merrick remembered playing the flute for him as Shayla sang for him so many mornings. He agreed to do it. At first, the deer zord ran away. Merrick and Shayla argued about why he would do that… which brought him to the one thought that had been tugging at him since Zen-Aku's curse had been broken.

"Where is she, Princess?" he snarled at Shayla.

"What do you mean, Merrick?"

"Caelia. Where is she? The two of you came up with a plan, leaving the Bear Brothers as her guardians. Now they are Taylor's zords, you and I are reunited, but I haven't so much as _felt_ Caelia since the curse has been broken. So _where_ is my sister?"

"Merrick... I…" Shayla started.

"Forget it," Merrick snapped. "I will help you, as I vowed to do. But when the threat is over, I will leave. And if you _ever_ were the Princess that Caelia thought you were, you will leave me my Lunar Caller, my Wild Zords, and the Bear Brothers as I go on a quest to find her."

Merrick walked away, not sure what else to do.

 **Reefside, Reefside Hospital, Same time:**

The girl that had been named Jane Doe had woken up. When she did, a burst of energy so strong it affected the entire city was released. While she had no idea who she was, there were suddenly records of her birth and people with memories of having had grown up with her, pictures and all. Her hospital records were adjusted when this happened, changing the name on her records from Jane Doe to Kira Ford, and the date of her admission to just two weeks prior to her waking up.

Kira sat up in the hospital bed. A nurse came in not long after, having realized she was awake. The doctor wasn't far behind her. After checking her to see how she was doing, the doctor started talking to her.

"Kira, how do you feel?" the doctor asked.

"For one, I feel like I have a terrible headache. For another, my name is _Kira_?" she asked, the name seeming very unfamiliar to her.

"Okay, we were worried something like this would have happened by the time you woke up," the doctor replied.

"What do you mean?"

"You were found a few weeks ago in the woods on the edge of town. You had hit your head pretty hard, probably on a rock, and were in a coma. I was worried that you might have some type of amnesia from the injury, considering it was bad enough to send you into a coma for this long," he explained. "Do you know where you are?"

Kira looked around and shook her head no.

"You are at Reefside Hospital in Reefside, California. You are a sophomore at Reefside High School and you are sixteen years old. You are an only child and it is only you and your mother, Leila. In addition, you are a talented musician."

At the mention of her mother, Kira's hand instinctively went to her throat, as if something should be there, but nothing was. She nodded at the doctor, as if she was okay with what he was telling her. In reality, this may be her life, but everything felt wrong. She just didn't know _why_.

Kira's mom was able to take her home a few days later. She showed her pictures of her growing up, trying to help jog her memory, and was disappointed when it didn't work. Kira felt bad, but she couldn't help it. Nothing helped her remember. No matter how much she _wanted_ to remember _anything_ , she couldn't. Her memories just wouldn't cooperate.

Two weeks after she was released from the hospital, she went back to school. It felt as foreign to her as everything else in her life. Still, she went to her classes, trying to be unseen so nobody would pressure her for familiarity she couldn't give them. The instructors were sympathetic to the fact that she needed to relearn everything they'd already learned that year, so they let her stay to the back of the classes and just observe, instead of putting her on the spot to respond to their questions. By the end of the day, she had almost gotten through the entire day without questions from any students, when some girl with golden hair approached her with a boy at her side.

"Hey, Kira," the girl started. "I want to ask you a couple of questions for my segment."

"Ready when you are, Cassidy," the boy at her side said, holding something up and pointing it at both girls.

"This is Cassidy Cornell with the Reefside News Network and I'm here with Kira Ford who has just returned to school after being out for just over a month. Kira, what can you tell your fellow students about what happened?"

"Cassidy," Kira started, "I don't know much, only what the doctors have told me. They found me in the woods on the outskirts of town, unconscious, with a head injury. I was in a coma for two weeks, and when I woke up I had lost all my memories. I've been home with my mom recovering for the last two weeks."

"Wait, you have _amnesia_?" Cassidy asked.

"That's what the doctor's say. I don't remember anything from before I woke up at Reefside Hospital. Nothing seems familiar, _nobody_ feels familiar to me anymore."

"Not even your mother?"

"No," Kira replied, feeling bad about that still, though her hand reflexively went to where she felt like something should be around her neck, again. "I feel bad about it, but I can't remember."

"That is so horrible, Kira. We hope you get your memories back soon. This is Cassidy Cornell, signing off," she said, turning to the boy. "Let's go, Devin."

The two left and Kira felt used. Her mom was outside the school waiting for her. When she saw Kira walking towards her, she gave her a look of concern.

"What's wrong, Kira?" Leila asked.

"I just feel like I was used by Cassidy Cornell. She came up to me and started asking me questions about what happened."

"Did you answer her?"

"Yeah, but I don't know why."

"It's okay, Kira. This will blow over eventually."

"I hope so. It would suck if I lived the rest of my life not knowing anything."

Kira and Leila got into the car. Leila dropped Kira at home before going back to work. Kira went to the desk in her room and started studying. She had homework and everything her classes had learned to this point to catch up on.

Without knowing why, at six o'clock, Kira stopped her schoolwork and started cooking. While dinner was cooking, she started cleaning the house. By the time her mother came home, the meal was almost done.

"What is that smell?" Leila asked as she walked in the door.

"Vegetable stew," Kira answered.

"I didn't know you knew how to cook," Leila responded.

Kira stopped to think.

"Neither did I. I just stopped studying and started preparing it. While it cooked, I cleaned up around the house. I don't know why. I just felt like it was something I was supposed to do," Kira told her mother.

Leila looked at Kira strangely.

"Are you okay, Sweetie?"

"Yeah, Mom. Why?"

"You've never done this before."

"I haven't?"

"No. So I don't know where you would get the idea that you had to."

"I think I'm just going to go finish my homework," Kira said, feeling uncomfortable that the one thing that _did_ feel semi-familiar to her was something she had never done before.

"What about dinner?"

"I'm not that hungry, and I have a lot of work to catch up on."

"Alright, Kira. If you're sure."

"I'm sure, Mom."

Kira retreated to her room.

 **Turtle Cove, Several Months Later:**

Months had passed. Merrick either had dreams of the past, where he and Caelia lived happily, where he and Princess Shayla were not on bad terms, or he had nightmares of the possibilities of Caelia's fate. His Wild Force Ranger jacket was right about him. He was a Howling Wolf, a lone wolf, who was missing something. He needed his sister back. He had already said he would stay until Master Org was dealt with, he needed the Bear Brothers, but he hated that he was pinned down, unable to search for Caelia in the meantime.

Merrick and the Wild Force Rangers had become a team and in the end, with the help of all the Wild Zords that had been missing for 3,000 years, as well as their Zords that Animus revived after his death, they defeated Master Org. It was over. The six Rangers could return to normal lives.

"Cole, Taylor, Danny, Max, and Alyssa, your powers are no longer needed," Princess Shayla told the five Rangers. "Your jackets and Growl Phones, please."

"What about Merrick? Will he be staying on the Animarium with you and the Wild Zords?" Alyssa asked.

"No, I won't," Merrick replied, frostily. "I have another path to follow. Princess Shayla has already agreed to let me keep my Lunar Caller, my Wild Zords, as well as take the Bear Brothers."

"Wait, he's taking the Bear Brothers? They chose me," Taylor protested.

"I understand that, Taylor. And I wish there was another way, but there is not. The path he must now follow, on his own, is one that is linked to the Bear Brothers. Only they may assist him," Princess Shayla explained to her.

Cole handed Princess Shayla the jackets and Growl Phones for the five Rangers. Soon after, Princess Shayla took the Animarium back to the sky with all the Wild Zords except the ones he now held the crystals for. The Rangers started going their own ways. Finally, Merrick had the freedom to start looking for his sister.

After packing his things from Willie's Road House, he started making his way out of town. Not only did he feel the need to find Caelia, but he felt he had much to atone for. He heard footsteps behind him. He didn't turn, but he knew who it was… Zen-Aku, who had somehow survived. Ultimately, after Zen-Aku informed him that he, like Merrick, was also a lone wolf looking for redemption, Merrick agreed to let him follow if he must.

Merrick warned, however, if he interfered with his search for his sister, he would destroy him this time. He reminded him that he remembered that he was the one who blocked him from his sister all those years ago, which is probably why he couldn't feel her since he'd awoken, like he should've. Zen-Aku agreed to the terms, knowing that just as he knew Merrick's mind inside and out, Merrick knew his. Together, Merrick and Zen-Aku started on a journey of redemption as Merrick searched for Caelia.

 **Reefside High School:**

Kira had no idea how she had done it, but she passed all of her finals. It wasn't easy to basically teach herself everything again after she woke from the coma, but she had done it. Now she had the entire summer to work on her music.

When she got home, she decided to take a nap. It had been a long road to get to where she was now. No, she hadn't recovered _any memories_ from before the coma, but she was functioning a lot better in day to day life. There were no more mishaps where she did things that she had never done before. She was careful of that. Instead, she studied yearbooks and photo albums that would give her clues to her life before the coma to keep her on track. It had worked.

As soon as Kira's head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

" _Caelia, would you be serious for a moment," the boy in her dream said to her._

" _Certainly, for you, Merrick," she said, bowing to him sarcastically._

" _My dear sister, I am trying to teach you to fight. It is frowned up as it is. Do you have to be so difficult about it?"_

" _Of course not," she said, finally not messing around._

 _Merrick started teaching her how to fight, going as far as to teach her how to handle a sword._

 _The scene changed and she was in a castle, looking out the window with a princess, Shayla. They were discussing the inevitability of the upcoming battles. The princess asked her to write a letter to her brother, explaining what the two of them had done and she would deliver it to Merrick when he brought her to the temple. She wrote the letter and wrapped it tightly, sealing it with a rope necklace that held a ring on it._

 _The scene changed again. This time, she was in a forest, doing some kind of spell. There were two…_ bears _at her sides. When she was finished, she thanked them and passed out. She remembered hoping Merrick was okay and that he'd forgive her when they awoke._

 _The scene changed one last time. It seemed like the current time. The boy, Merrick, was wearing a leather jacket that said Howling Wolf on the back. She wasn't sure where he was, but he had the necklace from the letter she had left him around his neck._

" _I_ will _find you, Caelia. I'm not sure how long it will take me, or where you are, but I will never give up on you," he said, his hand gripping the ring on the rope necklace._

Kira bolted upright in her bed. She was breathing heavily and there was sweat beading on her forehead. Needing to get this off her mind, she grabbed her guitar and started writing music. The dreams were a little weird for her and she had been trying to avoid weird since she had woken up from the coma.

When her mother came home, Kira was still in her room playing the guitar. She was much calmer, but still a bit haunted by her dreams. Her mother came and knocked on the door.

"Let's see that report card," she said to Kira.

Kira pulled her report card out of her backpack and gave it to her mother. She looked it over before looking at Kira with a huge smile on her face and pulling Kira into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Kira. With everything you've been through this year, I know it wasn't easy for you to get back on track with school, but you did it," her mom said to her. "Do you want Chinese or Italian for dinner?"

Kira had to remember her mother meant the type of food. She still got confused about that sometimes.

"Surprise me," Kira replied.

"Alright. I'll let you know when the food is here," her mother said as she left her alone with her music again.

 **Blue Bay Harbor, Six Months Later:**

Merrick was feeling stirrings of Caelia, but at the same time, the girl he was feeling didn't feel like his sister. He and Zen-Aku had been travelling through California trying to find any sign of her for six months, since the disbanding of the Wild Force Rangers. Every day that he didn't find his sister, he felt himself lose a little more hope.

They were walking in the park when a monster attacked the innocent people there. Merrick didn't hesitate. He morphed into the Lunar Wolf Ranger and immediately set out to battle the monster. While he and Zen-Aku battled the monster, successfully keeping it focused on them, the innocents in the park were able to get away to safety. Not long after they had started fighting, three others Merrick recognized as Power Rangers, joined the battle. At that point, Zen-Aku backed out of the battle. Merrick knew it was because the other Rangers would see him and attack. He, however, helped them finish the monster. When the monster grew, he called on the Predazord to back these Rangers up.

Merrick de-morphed when the battle was over. He was about to leave, when the three Rangers called to him. He turned around to look at them. They rushed over to him.

"Who _are_ you?" the girl asked.

"Just a lone wolf," Merrick said.

"You're a Power Ranger," the boy in red said. "Where do you come from?"

"Nowhere you'd believe."

"Try us," the boy in yellow replied.

"Fine. I come from 3,000 years ago, the Kingdom of Animaria. I was the personal guard of the Princess to the Kingdom, Shayla."

"Right," the girl said, not believing him.

"Guys, bring him back with you. I'm getting weird readings off of him," he heard someone say over their communicators.

Merrick got into a defensive position.

"What are you doing?" the boy in yellow asked.

"I do not know you three Rangers. I will not go anywhere with you. Not willingly."

"Fine, Dude. Just chill," the boy in yellow said. "I'm Dustin, the Yellow Wind Ranger. She's Tori, the Blue Wind Ranger. And this guy is our Red Wind Ranger, Shane. Now who are you?"

"Merrick. Merrick Baliton."

"Well, listen, Merrick. That was Cam. He's the one who pretty much runs everything for us behind the scenes. He's our Sensei's son. If he's asking us to bring you back with us, it's probably because Sensei is the one who wants to see you," Tori said.

Merrick hesitated. He knew Zen-Aku could not follow him and he was not sure what he would do if he was left to his own devices. However, they had been travelling together for six months and he had done nothing but try to redeem himself. Merrick finally gave in.

"Fine. But I'm not staying here for long. I go where the wind takes me and right now, I am hoping it will take me to _someone_ ," Merrick said.

"The Princess?" Dustin asked.

Merrick just looked at him and said nothing. The four went back to their base of operations. He was shocked to find that their Sensei was a guinea pig.

"I was not always a guinea pig. Only since Lothor came to Blue Bay Harbor."

"I'm guessing this Lothor was responsible for the monster in the park?"

"That would be a yes," Dustin said.

"Please, Merrick, come closer," Sensei said to him. "If you don't mind, I would like your permission to allow my son to do a scan of your energy."

"What kind of scan?" Merrick asked warily.

"I feel there is something different about you. You are a Ranger, but something tells me you are the only member of your team actively with powers. I would just like to see if anything shows on a scan of your energy. The scan will not steal your energy or otherwise injure you," the guinea pig explained.

Reluctantly, Merrick said yes. Cam asked him to stand in a specific spot and started a scan of Merrick. It was fast, but Merrick felt weird having done it.

"Cam, what did the scan say?" Sensei asked his son.

"You were right, Father. His energy is different. It reads as ancient, yet he seems to be _maybe_ in his mid-twenties. He does have morphing powers, which we already knew, but he has more than the three zords that he used today. Their energy is radiating off of him somehow."

Merrick reached into his pocket and pulled out the Wild Zord crystals.

"This is why the energy of the Wild Zords radiates from me," he said, showing them the crystals. "With these, part of the Wild Zords are always with me, making it easier to contact them. The Wild Zords decide who they will work with. The Wolf, Hammerhead Shark, and Alligator Wild Zords all chose me long ago. They form the Predazord, the Megazord I used in battled today," Merrick said showing them the crystal for his original three Wild Zords before showing them the other two. "These two had actually chosen another Ranger before I awoke and the curse was broken, but she no longer has her powers and they are connected to someone I am looking for."

"Who is it that you seek so desperately, Merrick?" Sensei asked.

"My sister, Caelia. 3,000 years ago, Princess Shayla taught her the magic she needed to put herself into a suspended sleep while Animaria was under the worst attack the kingdom had ever seen. I had no idea what they had done until I brought Princess Shayla to the temple in the Valley of the Wild Zords, where she was going to be put into a suspended sleep and the Valley would be lifted into the air, forming the Animarium. That was when she gave me a letter wrapped in this," he said, showing them the rope necklace with the ring. "It's my mother's ring. Caelia never took it off. The letter explained that the Princess had taught my sister the most advanced magic she had ever learned and the Bear Brothers were going to be her guardians. The magic Princess Shayla taught my sister was to put herself into a suspended sleep. She had run off somewhere in the woods, with these two as her protection, to put herself into that sleep so my mind could be clear as we battled the Orgs and their leader, Master Org."

"So, what happened to Caelia? Aren't those spells supposed to have some kind of magical alarm clock?" Tori asked.

"For Princess Shayla, it was whenever the Earth needed her and the Wild Zords to protect it. For Caelia, she was supposed to awaken when at least the two of us, if not all three of us, could be reunited. She was Shayla's confidant and pupil. I was Shayla's protector. By the end, we were almost inseparable. Caelia was the only family I had left, as I was to her. Technically, when the battle ended 3,000 years ago, Caelia and I should have been reunited. But in order to destroy Master Org, I donned a cursed wolf mask to help my fellow warriors.

"I lost my fight to the spirit of the mask and was entombed in my own suspended sleep by my friends for the kingdom's protection. I wasn't ever supposed to be released. When I first awoke, I was under the curse of the mask and trying to destroy everyone and everything. Eventually it was broken, but that was nearly a year ago. I've only been able to look for Caelia for six months, but I haven't found any trace of her yet."

"Your sister practiced sorcery 3,000 years ago?" Sensei asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"If she _did_ wake up, and she's somewhere in this country, we should be able to track her to at least a general region," Shane said, seemingly catching on.

"How?"

"For a sorceress to be dormant for so long and then suddenly wake up, there would be an enormous amount of energy released from her. It would be all the magical energy that had been pent up while she was in the suspended sleep," Sensei started.

"Which means, with that amount of energy released, we can track it on our computers," Cam finished. "We'll start in California. Do you remember a timeframe as to when your curse was broken?"

"Nine or ten months ago," Merrick answered.

"We'll start the scan at ten months, working forward," Cam said. "If she's in California, this will give us a general idea of where."

 **Reefside High School:**

Christmas was coming up. Kira didn't know anything about the holiday. She didn't even know if she _ever_ knew anything about the holiday. All she knew was she was getting time off from school and was told she needed to buy presents for the people closest to her.

After a day of shopping, which Kira thought of as a form of eternal damnation, she finally got home. She decided to wrap and label the presents before her mother got home, just to get it out of the way already. Finally, she threw herself down on her bed, closing her eyes for just a minute… or so she thought.

 _Merrick was in her dreams again. Only this time he was in a cave-like room with a few other people and a talking guinea pig. He was telling them of his sister, Caelia, and how he was trying to find her. One of them, started doing something on a computer, saying if Caelia had woken up in California, the scan would give a region for him to start looking into._

Kira jolted upright. What was going on with her dreams in the last few months? Why had this Merrick-guy invaded her dreams so suddenly? She grabbed her guitar and started playing again.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

 **Blue Bay Harbor, March 2003:**

Merrick and Zen-Aku had been staying in Blue Bay Harbor since December. Merrick had no intention on being there for so long, but it just happened. Zen-Aku, in the meantime, found a way to get involved as a mole with Lothor's gang of space ninjas and monsters. He was feeding information to Merrick who, in turn, was tipping off the Wind Rangers. This came in handy when two new, evil, Rangers came to Blue Bay Harbor. These new Rangers were proving to be a threat to Tori, Dustin, and Shane. As a way of thanking them for all of their help, Merrick stepped into their battle with them.

"Are you sure you are prepared to fight _against_ other Power Rangers, Merrick?" Sensei asked.

"If there is _any_ good left in these Rangers, I will help your Rangers remind them of what it is," Merrick replied. "Regardless, your pupils are in danger and my powers, weapons, and Wild Zords are more powerful. I will not let anything happen to them. I must go to them."

Merrick gave a slight nod as a sign of respect to the Sensei before running out. His wolf Wild Zord turned into the Wolf Savage Cycle, bringing him to the site of the battle. Merrick got there quickly to find Shane, Tori, and Dustin facing off against Navy and Crimson colored Rangers. Their uniforms looked similar to the Wind Rangers, but the symbol on them were different. Merrick quickly figured out they were also Ninja Rangers, from a different school, with different powers than the Wind Rangers.

 **Reefside High School:**

Kira was just trying to get through her junior year with minimal issues. So far, that hadn't been too difficult. She had made some friends and they had helped to guard her from the jerks that wanted to take advantage of her inability to remember anything before she hit her head in the woods. Her music was her solace for the hard days, though she was finding she had fewer of them.

The only time things got weird still was when she slept. When Kira slept, she still had dreams of Merrick, the man who vowed to find her. She still wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but she knew the two of them had to share _some_ kind of connection. It was the only reason she could think of to explain how or why he was able to appear in her dreams the way he did when she had no idea who he really was. For all Kira knew Merrick could be some kind of _serial killer_ who had decided she would be his next target.

 _Could that be why he's always in my head?_ Kira wondered to herself during history class. She knew some of the dreams showed him calling her sister, but serial killers weren't exactly known to be _stable_ members of society. Maybe that's how she got her and lost her memories. Maybe she had been running from him.

"Kira?" asked Mr. Murphy.

"Sorry?" Kira replied sheepishly. "What was the question you asked me, Mr. Murphy?"

"I asked you, when and why did the American Civil War start?"

Kira thought about it for a minute. She knew the answer. She had picked up history easier than some of the other subjects she had to learn since she got out of the hospital.

"Um…" she started, "in the presidential election of 1860 Abraham Lincoln won the presidency, but his name wasn't on the ballot in all of the states in the south. After he won, they wanted to form their own country, the Confederate States, but nobody took them serious as their own country. Even the Union States kept hold of military bases in the south. There was already fighting about whether or not to free slaves, with the southern states wanting to keep slavery because it was an easy way to have free labor to mind the plantations, but the northern states wanted to end slavery because they thought the slaves deserved better. Lincoln was anti-slavery, which enraged the south. The final straw came in April of 1861… April 12th I think… when the Confederate States attacked the major army fort in Charleston, South Carolina, Fort Sumter. The battle lasted over a day, ending with the union army soldiers surrendering the fort and Lincoln rallying the northern states to come together to give more troops to recapture the fallen fort and protect the others in the south."

Mr. Murphy looked at Kira impressed. He obviously hadn't thought she'd known the answer since she had disappeared into her head again.

"See me after class, Kira."

Kira shrugged and tried her best to focus on the rest of the class period. When the bell to end her history class rang, she waited until the class cleared, taking her time getting her things together before going up to Mr. Murphy.

"Kira, how did you know that answer? I had been watching you for at least ten minutes as I explained what happened to start the civil war. Your eyes were glazed over like you were somewhere else. Are you okay?"

Kira looked at Mr. Murphy. He didn't seem angry. In fact, he looked genuinely concerned.

"Mr. Murphy, I'm sorry. I know I wasn't paying attention and I should have. You're a really good teacher. I actually like your class. It's kinda nice considering some of my other classes still confuse me. But I'm really sorry I wasn't paying attention. I'll try harder to. I promise."

"But what was going on with you, Kira? Does this have to do with your head injury from last year? Do you need help or something?"

"No… Yes… I don't know." Kira replied in frustration.

"Do you want me to call your mother to help you?"

"No," Kira said quickly.

"Is everything alright at home, Kira?"

"Yeah, everything is fine at home. It's not like that. Mom and I are fine."

"Then what is it?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"Promise me you won't tell anyone?"

"If someone is hurting you, I have to report it. State law, my hands are tied on that one. If it's something that's just making you distracted, you have my word, Kira."

Kira was fidgeting with her hands for a minute. She took a deep breath before she opened her mouth to explain what things had been like for her since she'd woken up, how she'd had weird dreams. She left the serial killer theory to herself, however, because that seemed like something that he would have to report.

 **Blue Bay Harbor:**

Merrick watched as Tori, Dustin, and Shane were knocked out of their Morphs. As the other Rangers who had attacked them when to attack them, he sprang into action, blocking their attack on the young Wind Rangers.

"Weren't you ever taught there is no honor in attacking an opponent who is already down?" Merrick asked the Navy and Crimson Rangers.

The Crimson Ranger took a swing at Merrick, which he easily deflected, knocking him to the ground in the process. _He is obviously impulsive and hot-headed_ , Merrick noted to himself. Merrick looked at the Navy Ranger. Even though his helmet prevented him from seeing his eyes, Merrick knew he was weighing his options, making a plan before he made a move. _This one is the one with the discipline. He will be slightly more of a nuisance than the Crimson Ranger,_ Merrick thought to himself. And with that, the Navy Ranger attacked.

Quickly, Merrick used his Lunar Caller and Morphed into the Lunar Wolf Ranger. He unsheathed his Lunar Cue. As the Navy Ranger attacked, he used it as a saber, though it had other modes, which Merrick had mastered long ago. He had the Navy Ranger on his toes, even if he wasn't putting in as much effort as he made it look like.

Out of the corner of his eye, Merrick saw the Crimson Ranger get back to his feet.He quickly changed the Lunar Cue from saber to sniper mode and began shooting at the two Rangers, blasting them back about ten feet. When he saw they were both struggling to get to their feet, he ran to check on the Wind Rangers.

"Are you three, okay?" he asked them.

"Yeah, thanks, Merrick. What made you come?" Shane asked.

"The wind called me here."

"The _wind_?" Tori asked. "You'll need to explain that to us sometime. But for now, I think the three of us have a battle to finish."

As the three got to their feet to Morph, the four of them noticed the Navy and Crimson Rangers had called Zords. The Wind Rangers would need time to Morph and get their Zords there.

"Do what you have to. I'll hold them off until your Zords get here," Merrick told them.

"But how, Dude? Those Zords are no joke," Dustin replied.

"Like this," Merrick said, pulling out his three Wild Zord crystals and setting his Lunar Cue to breaker mode. "Wild Zords! Descend!" Merrick called as he shot the crystals up into the sky as if they were pool balls. When the Zords quickly appeared, Merrick continued, "Wild Zords! Combine!"

Tori, Shane, and Dustin looked impressed as Merrick's Wolf, Alligator, and Hammerhead Shark Wild Zords combined into a powerful looking Zord. As Merrick entered that Zord, two other Wild Zords, was all the three Wind Rangers could assume at least, came up to them. They looked like a polar bear and a black bear. The two bears started to get close to the three Wind Rangers. Tori and Shane backed up but Dustin, always being curious, got closer to the Wild Zords.

"You guys look so cool," Dustin said to the Bear Brothers as he rubbed their heads.

He noticed as he did, the pain he felt from his injuries started to fade.

"Are you guys doing that? Making me feel better?" Dustin asked them.

The Bear Brothers looked at him and moved their heads in what Dustin could only describe as a nod. He looked back at Shane and Tori.

"Guys, you have to come here. These two bears are totally cool," Dustin said. "I think they want to help us feel better before we go back to battle."

"How do you know that, Dustin?" Tori asked.

Shane looked at Dustin carefully.

"Tori, look at him. I mean, _really_ look at him," Shane said. "Most of his injuries from the battle are gone. What's not is barely noticeable."

Tori looked at Dustin. Shane was right.

"How did they do that, Dustin?" Tori asked him.

"I was just petting them while telling them they were awesome. I started to feel better," Dustin said as he turned back to the two bears, petting their heads again. "Isn't that right, you two awesome dudes?"

Tori and Shane started to pet the bears like Dustin was doing. Soon, all three Wind Rangers were healed. They bowed to the Bear Brothers in thanks. They were shocked when it looked like they were bowing back at them. Finally, they Morphed and told Cam to send them the Zords.

Merrick looked down to see what had taken so long for the Wind Rangers to Morph. That's when he saw them. The Bear Brothers. They had decided to heal the young Rangers before sending them back into battle. As the Wind Rangers were Morphing and calling on their Zords, the other Rangers, who seem to harness the power of thunder, tried to make a cheap shot on them. Merrick had no worries for the young Wind Rangers. The Bear Brothers had decided to heal them. They would also protect them until they had the protection of their Zords.

When the Navy Ranger's Beetlezord and the Crimson Ranger's Insectizord got close enough to attack, the Bear Brothers let loose an attack of their own. They began to shoot fire and ice beams from their mouths. Those beams were more powerful than one would think, and these two Thunder Rangers realized the Bear Brothers, even without being part of a Megazord, easily overpowered their Zords. The Wind Rangers finished their Morph as the Bear Brothers and the Predazord held them back, giving them room to breathe until they got their Zords and were able to form their own Megazord. Once they did, Merrick took the five Zords, and returned to Ninja Ops.

"I've never seen the Bear Zords, other than the crystals. They are very interesting. Did they really heal Dustin, Shane, and Tori?" Cam asked.

"Yes, they did. It is one of the things they can do if they feel the person is worthy of their help. Once they feel someone is worthy of their help, they will not just heal them, but they will protect them fiercely. Which is why, when those other Rangers got around the Predazord, the Bear Brothers attacked them. They would not allow them to attack the Wind Rangers when they were vulnerable."

"So, you're basically telling me that even though they are Zords, the Zords you carry are also fully sentient beings?" Cam asked.

"Yes, they are. It is why they can't just be given to a Ranger like the Zords your Rangers have. And I'm not saying this to insult any Zord that isn't a Wild Zord, Cam. It's just that with the Wild Zords, there is a connection between the Ranger and the Zord you can't find with other Zords. There is trust between both of them that they will protect each other, they each believe not only in the fight they are fighting, but also in the value of the other's life."

"The Wild Zords are more like animals aren't they? That is what the people of your kingdom treated them as before the destruction?" Sensei asked.

"Yes, Sensei," Merrick replied. "In Animaria, the Wild Zords roamed freely among everyone. Some more than others, but they were not stored away from the public. We all lived in peace. The Bear Brothers and my sister had an intense bond. I almost lost her before the Great War began. If it hadn't have been for those Wild Zords, I _would_ have lost Caelia."

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?" Cam asked.

Merrick looked haunted as he flashed on his sister looking so close to death against the tree trunk.

"We had already learned about the Orgs. When they had made themselves known in Animaria, it was discreetly at first. Toxic puddles were turning up in random places around the kingdom. People were getting deathly ill from the toxins, and there was not much we could do to help. We'd never seen these toxins before. There was no pollution or toxins in the world back then. The people all took care of each other. Compared to the way things are now, I guess you could call it a utopia.

"I was with Shayla for the day. As her royal protector, I was tasked to be with her, especially if she was not in the castle. When I went home, Caelia was not in the house as she usually was. She decided at some point after we lost our father that she would cook dinner and clean our home before I would return home from my post each night. Her not being there set off alarms for me. I ran out of our home and quickly found her… Leaning against a tree trunk, looking like she was not long for this world at all, with some of the toxins on her foot. One of the toxic puddles had appeared close to our home, and when she went outside to investigate some noises that did not sound like Wild Zords, she stepped in the puddle."

"So how did the Bear Brothers help? Did you call to them?"

"No, I didn't. I didn't have the bond to them Caelia did. Even if I had, it would have taken too long to find them and bring them to her. She would have been lost forever," Merrick explained. "I washed the toxins off of her foot, which was a feeble attempt to do anything, but I knew it wouldn't do much. Right after I did, Shayla arrived with the Bear Brothers."

"Did the princess call them?"

"No, Cam. Actually, the Bear Brothers called the princess to come with them to Caelia," Merrick explained. "Caelia weakly pet the Bear Brothers, and I knew we were in trouble. The Bear Brothers were her favorite of all the Wild Zords. If Shayla had not required she learn about _all_ of the Wild Zords, she would have spent all of her time with them. The fact that she could barely muster up the energy to pet them showed us that I wasn't wrong, and she was not long for this world.

"The Bear Brothers stood on their hind legs, making them tower of my weak sister. They stood on either side of her, making sure she was between them. After a bit they seemed to emit a golden light between them. Not long after that, my sister looked normal again. She could move again. And the first thing she did was have a conversation with the Bear Brothers."

"Wait, the people of Animaria could _talk_ with the Wild Zords?"

"Some more than others. Shayla and Caelia could understand all of the Wild Zords. Others could understand 1 or 2, others a few more, and then there were those who were chosen to be guardians of the Wild Zords and could understand their Zords. I can only understand my three Wild Zords. I can't communicate with the Bear Brothers."

"Then why did you bring them?" Cam asked.

"They were supposed to stay with Caelia," Merrick started. "They were supposed to protect my sister, who they _do_ hold an extraordinary bond with. I'm hoping they can help me find her. Only they know where she cast the spell. They were the only ones who were with her when she put herself into the suspended sleep."

Merrick started gripping the ring around his neck again.

"You feel the wind carrying you away from Blue Bay Harbor, don't you, Merrick?" Sensei asked.

"I do. I'm sorry, but it is time for me to go. I have to continue my journey. Cam, if those scans ever finish, you know how to reach me on my Lunar Caller. If you need me in an emergency, I will feel it in the wind and I will come. Until then," Merrick started as he bowed in respect to Sensei and Cam, "thank you for everything you have done for me."

"Thank you for helping us when we needed it, Merrick," Sensei replied. "Safe travels."

Merrick turned and left. As he reached to city limits of Blue Bay Harbor, Zen-Aku joined him.

"We're finally leaving this place?" Zen-Aku asked.

"Yes. I stayed far too long. I should have left right after I went back to their base of operations."

"So why did you stay?"

"They have a way to search for Caelia. It's just taking much longer than planned."

"The Bear Brothers and Predazord were active in a battle meant for the Wind Rangers today. Why?"

"Only as back-up. I gave them breathing room to get back on their feet. As for the Bear Brothers… they've decided the Wind Rangers are pure of heart and wanted to help them. So they healed them and protected them until they could Morph and call on their own Zords. Once the Wind Rangers were up and had their Zords, I left, taking the Bear Brothers and Predazord with me. You know my mind well. You know my battle skills with and without the Predazord. The Navy and Crimson Rangers who attacked the Wind Rangers are efficient warriors, but they are no match for me. The little bit of damage I _did_ do was without effort on my part. I could have ended the battle if I had put in some effort. That is not my path. My path is to find Caelia. If I can help along that path, that's fine, but I'm not fighting others' battles for them."

"I understand."

"Your information was very helpful, by the way," Merrick said to Zen-Aku, shocking the Org.

"You are complimenting me?"

"Our plans changed and you improvised. You kept yourself out of trouble _and_ continued on your road to redemption by alerting me to anything major that would affect the Wind Rangers. So, yes, I guess I am complimenting you, Zen-Aku. You did a good job."

 **Reefside High:**

"So," Mr. Murphy started, "you're problem isn't that you're being abused at home, but you're not allowing yourself to sleep much? Why, Kira?"

"The man in my dreams… he feels so _familiar_ to me, Mr. Murphy. But I have no idea who he is. In my dreams I feel like I remember doing things, things that make me feel normal, but I find out they're things I've never done before. So, I sleep the minimal amount I need to function, drink caffeine, study for school, and work on songs."

"You do realize that sleeping is necessary, don't you, Kira?"

"I know. I just need to figure out why this one guy I've never seen before keeps appearing in my dreams. It's why I was dazed out earlier. I'm so sorry, Mr. Murphy. I was thinking about the guy in my dreams, not in a hormonal way or anything like that, but just trying to figure out why he's almost always there."

"Maybe you should see a therapist. They could try hypnotherapy?"

"I like having control of my mind. And since I only have access to what I've learned since I _left_ the hospital, I'd rather not have anyone poking around in my head. Thanks."

"Are you sure, Kira?"

"Yeah. I'll try harder to focus, Mr. Murphy. But I'll be fine."

 **Six Months Later:**

Summer had been pretty uneventful. Kira spent her time writing music and trying to work out the mystery of Merrick, the man in her dreams. While Merrick was still a mystery, she had written quite a few new songs. Still, the only thing that got her out of bed on the first day of school was knowing it was the first day of her senior year of high school. At the end of this year she would graduate and, depending on whether she decided to go to college or to try to get a recording contract, she would likely hardly ever see the kids from Reefside ever again.

When she reached Reefside High, the school was buzzing with gossip. There were two new staff members and nobody had any information on either of them. The first and most important of these new staff members was the principal. In absence of real information, people were saying Ms. Randall was some crazy ex-prison guard. The second new staff member was a science teacher named Doctor Oliver. Rumors were spreading that he was some lunatic recluse who took the open science position to torture and kidnap kids. Already the school year seemed like it was going to be interesting. Kira secured her guitar case on her back and her messenger bag on her shoulder and made her way to her first period class.

Kira sat in the middle of her science class and started writing lyrics in the back of her notebook. When the late bell rang, a teacher she'd never seen on campus walked in and started handing out the syllabus. He introduced himself… as Doctor Oliver. Immediately Cassidy jumped up trying to "interview him," but he shut her down before Devin could even get his camera ready, after assuring her that he was, in fact, old enough to be a teacher. Kira found it funny and felt like the year might be better… until her free period when she was playing music outside with some friends.

"Ms. Ford, I'm afraid you need written permission to play on school grounds," a woman Kira could only guess to be Ms. Randall said to her, as she wrote in her portfolio. "Let's go."

"Are you aware that kids who play an instrument have a 50% higher chance of getting into college?" Kira replied instead of moving.

"Well, you're hardly college material now, are you, Ms. Ford?" Ms. Randall shot back at her. "Now, come with me."

Too shocked at what the principal said to her, Kira grabbed her guitar and followed her. She also noticed that Connor McKnight was following, the school's star soccer player. Kira guessed he was on the soccer field instead of first period and Randall busted him. As they were walking, the school's sprinkler system suddenly went off. Kira panicked, her guitar was getting wet. She did her best to protect it from the water while she herself got soaked.

"Ethan James," Principal Randall said, glaring at the boy from Kira's first period science class, the only person walking through the showers with an umbrella. "I should've known."

Principal Randall made Ethan join Connor and Kira wherever she was taking them. When they got into the school building she brought them by her office. It was clear she was pissed off.

"SIT!" she shouted, pointing at the seats outside her office.

The three students sat down as they were told, not sure what she would do if they didn't.

"Principal Randall," Ethan started, "I'd just like to mention the fact that there's absolutely no hard evidence linking me to that unfortunate sprinkler incident."

"Save it for Judge Judy, Mr. James," she said to Ethan before looking at all of them. "The three of you have detention, for one week. Starting today. Now, if there are no further questions…"

At this point, Connor, Kira, and Ethan went from looking at Principal Randall with confusion and annoyance to protesting. Connor was complaining about missing soccer practice, Kira about missing rehearsals, and Ethan about missing computer club.

"I didn't think so!" Randall finished her statement, effectively cutting off her students' protests at being given detention for a week, before she stormed off into her office leaving them outside.

"Okay. Somebody _seriously_ needs a hug," Kira said.

"Dude… computer club?" Connor asked Ethan… the only thing he wanted to know after being sentenced to a week of detention.

Later that day, Connor, Kira, and Ethan were waiting to see what detention was going to be. Principal Randall showed up with Doctor Oliver. She told them they were going to have detention with him for the week. He informed them they would be heading to a museum.

When they got to the museum, it was closed. Doctor Oliver made a deal with them. If they could find anything prehistoric on the grounds of the museum, he would cancel detention for the week. He sent them off on their own as he looked for someone to find out when the museum was open.

Kira, Connor, and Ethan were walking in the woods not too far from the museum. Connor was making fun of Ethan for being in the computer club. Ethan was going on about urban myths he had read about on different websites, including ones about the woods they were in. Suddenly, they fell into sinkholes.

Realizing they couldn't get out of the hole they were in, they decided to look for a new one. Kira started singing to herself, nervous in the underground tunnels they found themselves in.

"Babe, can you keep it down? I'm trying to stay focused here," Connor said to Kira, pissing her off.

"Did you just call me Babe?" Kira asked Connor. Getting no answer she turned to Ethan. "Did he just call me Babe?"

"I don't know. I wasn't listening. I was still grooving to your tunes," Ethan answered.

Kira approached Connor angrily.

"What?" Connor asked, almost annoyed that she was near him. "Just chill out, why don't ya?"

"Listen, my name is Kira. Maybe you should write it on your hand or something, so you can remember," Kira said even more annoyed than she was earlier, but still not feeling connected to her name.

Further into the tunnels, they found a dinosaur skeleton.

"This screams Jurassic Park to me," Kira said.

"This'll get us out of detention forever," Connor agreed.

Connor went to grab the lower jaw of the dinosaur.

"Do you think you should…" Kira started, but Connor had already pulled down on the jaw… and it opened a door in the wall.

Behind the wall was a creepy but cool looking cave hideout. Kira loved it, thinking she could shoot a great music video there. Connor tried to make fun of Ethan saying the room was his geek mothership. Ethan wanted to argue, but admitted Connor was right. In the center of the room, they found three gems, red, yellow, and blue. Connor and Kira agreed they looked prehistoric even though Ethan thought they should think about taking them. In the end, they took them and found a way out of the underground tunnels.

When they made it outside, there were creepy looking things that appeared. They looked like something crossed with a dinosaur… and it was clear they were after Kira, Connor, and Ethan. The three teenagers made a run for it, but eventually the things caught up to them, so they split up, trying to figure out a way to stop them by minimizing their numbers.

A group of them followed Kira. Suddenly, she felt herself changing. She was something completely new. She looked down at the stone in her hand. It was glowing. When the things appeared, she began to fight like an expert combatant. The only thing was, she knew from photo albums and stories, Kira never so much as took a self-defense class. Finally, when she had the group all in one place, instinctively she screamed, and they flew back into tree trunks.

 **Silver Hills, Same Time:**

Merrick had gone to see Wes Collins the Red Time Force Ranger and Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger, and leaders of the Silver Guardians, to see if they could help him with any leads. They had worked with the Wild Force team before. After talking to Trip and Circuit, the only definitive information they were able to give Merrick is that he would find her path soon.

Suddenly, Merrick felt strange. He had never felt sensations like the ones he was feeling in that moment. In the distance he could feel Wes and Eric calling to him, but he couldn't respond. He wasn't even sure he was still in Silver Hills anymore.

 _Merrick could feel Caelia, but he couldn't see her. He was in a body, but not sure whose or where he was. When he stopped trying to fight the experience, he felt the movements the body was making. They were moves that were part of the fighting technique he had taught Caelia millennia ago! Something was coming back to her in her waking hours!_

 _Then he realized, if she was awake and fighting, she must be in danger. Merrick kept himself from worrying, worried that it would break the connection that had formed. He watched as she fought like a true warrior. Soon the battle was over. He focused all of his energy, willing himself to stay where he was just a little longer. While it wouldn't work for long, he hoped it would work long enough to give him a solid clue as to where his sister had been for almost two years._

 _Two boys walked over to her and started talking about the stones, calling her Kira. All three had stones in different colors. The creatures that attacked. Merrick swallowed his fear of what this might mean as he focused. Soon, an adult approached the three of them and they hid the stones from him. He asked if they were ready to go and they agreed, calling him Doctor Oliver. It would have to be enough._

"I need to find a teacher named Doctor Oliver," Merrick said suddenly, startling Wes and Eric.

"What? Why?" Wes asked.

"If I'm right, he has a student named Kira who found a yellow stone today. And if I'm correct about her, Kira is actually Caelia."

"What makes you think that, Merrick?" Eric asked.

"I was pulled to her, I was seeing through her eyes. She was fighting some creatures."

"So?" Eric asked.

"Eric, let him finish," Wes warned him.

"Before Animaria was destroyed, I went against many rules for Caelia. One of them was teaching her to fight, to wield a sword. Kira's fighting techniques are the same techniques I taught Caelia millennia ago… Techniques that wouldn't really be widely known anymore."

"We met a Tommy Oliver when we went on that mission to the moon with Cole," Wes said. "Maybe he's the Doctor Oliver you're looking for. I'll give him a call and ask him if he's teaching. If he is, I'll ask him if he has a student named Kira. I think we should leave out the fighting and stone part. What if Kira didn't tell him about it?"

Wes got up to make the phone call. Twenty minutes later he came back and sat down with Eric and Merrick.

"Well?" Merrick asked eagerly.

"It seems, Tommy actually _is_ a doctor… of paleontology. He is teaching high school science and had three students in detention with him today. They were in the woods looking for something prehistoric. He did confirm one of them is named Kira Ford, who was in detention for playing her guitar at school without permission…" Wes started.

"What _aren't_ you telling us?" Eric asked.

"Tommy looked at the student files for the three students who had detention today after they got back," Wes started. "I'm sorry, Merrick, but Kira was found almost two years ago in the woods on the outskirts of town. She had amnesia after hitting her head hard enough to put her into a coma for about two weeks. She was out of school for over a month. Her school records say she never got any of her memories back from before she hit her head."

For the first time in almost two years, everything made sense to Merrick. The Bear Brothers having difficulty pinning down Caelia's location, he himself thinking he felt her, but it not being her, it was all because she had no memories! Not consciously anyway. Merrick was sure that, especially by now, Caelia was remembering and just not telling anybody.

"Why are you smiling? Wes just told you this Kira-girl has no memories before the hospital," Eric inquired.

"Of course she doesn't," Merrick said. " _Kira_ didn't _exist_ before the hospital. _Caelia_ did. I spoke with some other Rangers about this months ago. My sister practiced sorcery 3,000 years ago with Princess Shayla. Shayla was her teacher. According to these other Rangers and their mentor, a sorceress who had been dormant for that long builds up a lot of energy that just stays inside of her. So when she woke up, there would've been a huge release of that magical energy, 3,000 years of excess energy just being unleashed. It's the kind of thing that could create a new identity. The last spell Caelia did was a suspended sleep spell, to keep herself safe during the Org War. Her magic could have created Kira to everyone to keep her safe and help her blend in to this new world."

"But what was with the head injury?" Wes asked.

"When she did the suspended sleep spell, it was the first time she'd worked magic that advanced. Shayla had taught her the components, but it's not the kind of thing you can practice. It's powerful. So, if she cast it, not realizing how quickly it would take hold of her, she could have slammed her head onto a boulder or rock formation in the woods. With her being in a suspended sleep, the injury would also be suspended. It wouldn't bleed or otherwise affect her health until she woke again. That is most likely when she was brought to the hospital."

"Magic is weird," Eric said.

"But it saved my sister," Merrick said. "Where is Doctor Oliver, Wes?"

"Reefside. He teaches science at Reefside High School."

"Thank you both. But now, I have to go find my sister," Merrick said as he turned and left, starting his journey to a definitive point, Reefside, to where his sister had been since she had awoken.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

 **Reefside:**

"Consider me out," Kira said, giving Connor her gem, before taking it from him and giving it to Ethan instead because he complained she gave it to the soccer star. "Pretend I was never here."

As Kira began to walk away she felt the wind pick up. It wasn't just a normal wind, either. It was the same wind the three had felt in the woods before the lizard things had attacked them. Kira was in complete disbelief. Not only were these things showing up at their school, but they were coming for her and she didn't even have one of the gems anymore. What could they possibly want from her?

They appeared out of the sky and Kira tried to fight them off, but it was no use. Neither were Ethan and Connor for that matter. The creatures showed up, too many for her to fight alone, subdued her, and just as quickly as they came, they dragged Kira into some portal. Not long after, everything went dark on Kira.

 **In the Woods on the Edge of Town:**

"So, Merrick, right?" Tommy asked the guy who looked like he was nearly a decade younger than him.

"That's right. Merrick Baliton. I was the Lunar Wolf Ranger of the Wild Force Team. You worked with our Red Ranger, Cole Evans," Merrick replied.

"But it wasn't Cole who contacted me. It was Wes Collins, the Red _Time Force_ Ranger. So why don't you start by telling me why you still have an active Morpher when the rest of the Wild Force Rangers are inactive, Mr. Baliton?"

"Dr. Oliver, I will not lie to you. I became the Lunar Wolf Ranger after spending 3,000 years under the spell of Zen-Aku, the Wolf Duke Org, buried in the Earth, by my own team after the defeat of Master Org… before Animaria fell completely. I was Princess Shayla's protector. When the current Wild Force Rangers broke the spell on me and informed me that Princess Shayla was awake and the one who brought them together, I agreed to finish what I hadn't done all those years ago… put an end to the Orgs. But I also made an agreement with Princess Shayla for when that was done."

"What kind of agreement was that?"

"I would keep my Lunar Caller, my Wild Zords, and take two of the Wild Zords of one of the other Wild Force Rangers."

"I thought the Wild Force Zords had to choose their guardians. If Shayla was making the rest of the team inactive, why would these two Wild Zords work for you?"

"You are right about the Wild Zords choosing their guardian. My Wolf, Alligator, and Hammerhead Shark Wild Zords chose me a long time ago. They have been faithful to me ever since… Even when I donned Zen-Aku's cursed mask and turned them into Dark Wild Zords. The Wild Zords are extremely loyal to their guardians and it is not an easy task to turn them against them…" Merrick started, but an alert went off on Tommy's phone.

"Mr. Baliton, we're going to pick this up later," he said, handing him a business card. "This is my cell number. Call me later and we'll set something up, maybe for this weekend. But, I'm very sorry. I have to go."

Merrick took the business card and watched as the former Ranger ran off.

 **Mesogog's Layer, Several Hours Later:**

Kira was waking up, and everything was groggy. She tried to remember what was going on. When she realized that she remembered everything from when she was grabbed all the way back to when she woke up in the hospital, she was relieved.

"Give me the gems," a creepy voice called from nowhere.

"Who's there?" Kira asked, getting off some kind of exam chair that she had woken up in. "Come out so I can see you."

"Give me the gems," the disembodied voice insisted again.

"This is about jewelry?" asked Kira. "Look, Pal, clearly you've got the wrong girl. I may wear a friendship bracelet once in a while, but I, I…"

"I have waited," the voice of a dinosaur looking creature said behind Kira, making her gasp, "for far too long to allow an insignificant teenager to get in my way. Now, where are the Dino Gems?"

"You mean those rock things we found in the cave?"

"Yes," the creature hissed at Kira.

"I gave mine to Conner and Ethan," Kira replied. "You'll have to ask them. Can I go? My mom is gonna freak if I'm late for dinner. It's taco night."

The dinosaur creature disappeared before Kira's eyes. For a minute, she thought she was losing her grip on reality.

"Okay, that's it. No more cafeteria food," Kira said to herself.

As Kira turned around there was a woman standing behind her. The woman looked vaguely familiar to her, but Kira couldn't place her.

"You'll be lucky if you ever see food again," the woman said to Kira.

"You got a name? You kinda look familiar," Kira said to the woman.

"My master calls me Elsa," she replied.

"Your _master_?" Kira asked and continued without waiting for an answer. "Okay, whatever. Look, I'm gonna let myself out."

As Kira turned, Elsa grabbed her. Kira immediately went into defensive mode and wound up trading holds with her. Ultimately, Kira kicked Elsa to the other side of the room. Kira was shocked that she had been able to fight like that again. Elsa was holding her arm and looking pissed off.

"Whoa… I so did _not_ mean to do that," Kira told the angry Elsa.

As she turned to run, she was stopped by more minions of the dinosaur creature.

"Meet Zeltrax," Elsa said behind Kira.

"You two dating?" Kira replied. "Or just friends?"

Zeltrax swung is weapon at Kira. She let out a Ptera-Scream. Zeltrax and the lizard things that had brought her to the lab she woke up in fell to the ground. Kira ran before they could get back up.

"After her!" she heard Elsa scream.

Kira kept running. She saw a weird green light coming from the wall and decided to touch it. Suddenly, she was falling from the sky… landing on the hood of Doctor Oliver's Jeep. Not long after she had been reunited with Conner, Ethan, and Doctor Oliver, Zeltrax and the lizard crew appeared down the road.

Conner, Ethan, and Kira began to fight the lizard creatures. What shocked Kira was that Doctor Oliver also got involved in the fight, taking on Zeltrax, and could clearly hold his own. After they all did substantial damage, Doctor Oliver knocked Zeltrax away from the four of them.

"Make sure you tell your master, Doctor Oliver is back," he said to Zeltrax.

"I will inform him. This battle is over, but the war has only just begun," Zeltrax replied before taking the lizard creatures and disappearing into what Kira had been told were invisiportals.

After promising to explain what was going on the following day, Doctor Oliver dropped them off. Unfortunately that didn't happen.

Early the next morning, Cassidy tried to trick Kira into another interview, but she had learned how to get out of that. Before Doctor Oliver could start his lecture the morning sky turned dark. Everyone thought that Lothor had returned. Only Devin had heard anything of relevance… Mechanical dinosaurs attacking downtown Reefside.

Doctor Oliver explained on the way back to the command center in the basement in his house that the mechanical dinosaurs were called bio Zords. They were fused with dinosaur DNA for the neuro functions and, yes, he had helped to create them. Mesogog had revived them and set them loose. Now he needed Conner, Ethan, and Kira to tame them because they were connected to their Dino Gems. He gave the three of them their Dino Morphers and told them how to Morph. Then he explained how to tame the bio Zords.

When they got downtown, Zeltrax was waiting, to ensure the newly created Dino Thunder Rangers could not get to the rampaging Zords. Conner, Ethan, and Kira Morphed into the Red, Blue, and Yellow Rangers respectively. As they attacked, the Tyrannadrones, which Kira had learned the lizard creatures were named, also attacked. They called on their weapons, Conner a Tyranno-Staff, Ethan a Tricera-Shield, and Kira had Ptera-Grips. With the weapons, the battle went much easier and soon it was the three of them and Zeltrax. After following Doctor Oliver's advice to combine their weapons, they attacked Zeltrax with all three weapons, making him retreat, leaving them free to tame the Zords.

Ethan went first and didn't have much trouble taming his Tricera-Zord. Kira went next. She focused for a minute, realizing this act was extraordinarily familiar, the act of bonding with a Zord, though she'd never been this close to a Zord as far as she knew. After she had her thoughts clearly on bonding on the Ptera-Zord, she let the thoughts flow to the Zord… and it responded to her. Conner had the most trouble. While he did have trouble, the Tyranno-Zord attacked the Tricera-Zord and the Ptera-Zord. Finally, Conner was able to calm the Tyranno-Zord.

Doctor Oliver had them combine their Zords into a Megazord to fight the ship Zeltrax was in, the one which looked like Lothor's. Conner was the one who realized they had to drill through the center of the ship to destroy it. They swung up from underneath the ship and dropped down onto the heart of the ship, using the Tyranno-Drill to drill completely through it, destroying the ship. The new team of Rangers were shocked and excited. They had just won their first Megazord battle.

When they got back to Doctor Oliver's house, there was a little girl in the command center. Kira thought she was cute, but could tell she was trouble, just by looking at her eyes. Her light brown pigtails weren't fooling her. Doctor Oliver didn't notice the little girl at first. Instead he asked for Conner, Ethan, and Kira's Dino Morphers. They gave them to him.

"Um, Doctor Oliver…" Kira started, pointing at the little girl. "I think you have a stowaway down here."

Doctor Oliver turned around and saw the little girl. He was shocked she was there, but it was clear how much the kid meant to him. Just as it was clear how much the little girl loved Doctor Oliver, whose arms she jumped into, nearly making him drop the case with their Morphers. Conner caught it before they fell.

"Hey, Punk," Doctor Oliver said, tickling the little girl. "What're you doing down here? You know you're not supposed to be down here without me."

The little girl put her finger to her mouth.

"Shhhh," she started. "Hiding from Mommy."

"Why are you hiding from Mommy, Punk?"

"Pink boots?"

"What about them, Punk?"

"Pretty on fire!" the kid said laughing.

Conner started to laugh until Doctor Oliver gave him a stern look. But when he looked at his three students, they could tell he was trying not to laugh too.

"Emmie!" he scolded the little girl half-hearted. "What have I told you about fire?"

"No let Mommy catch me?"

Kira ran halfway up the stairs, because she couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"No, Punk. I told you. No fire unless I'm there to help you with it. You're not supposed to start fires by yourself. I start them and we do things with the fire, like make s'mores."

"But Daddy," Emmie said, pouting at Doctor Oliver with wide eyes… his eyes, Kira noticed as she came back down the stairs.

"You can stay down here until I go upstairs, Punk. But then you have to tell Mommy you're sorry."

"But I not!" Emmie said.

"Oh, Punk. You're gonna be a handful when you hit puberty," Doctor Oliver said. "You have to tell her anyway."

Before she could argue anymore, Doctor Oliver turned back to his students.

"Conner, Ethan, Kira," he started, "this is my daughter, Emerald. Her mom and I call her Emmie for short… Well, mostly her mom. I mostly call her Punk… I'm sure you see why. Punk, this is Conner, Ethan, and Kira."

Emmie looked at the three of them. Each of them had waved at her as Doctor Oliver said their name. She looked back at her father.

"Down," she said to him, so he put her down, and she immediately pounced on Conner.

Doctor Oliver caught the case with the Morphers as Conner caught the little girl who had launched herself at him.

"Hey Conner, it looks like you made a new friend," Kira said to him.

"Yeah, and she probably has a higher IQ than you," Ethan teased him.

"Alright guys, that's enough," Doctor Oliver cut in, opening the case and showing them wide band bracelets with the Dino Gems set in the middle instead of the Dino Morphers. "I want you to keep these with you at all times. They will conceal your Dino Morphers until you need them and you will be able to use them to communicate with me here and with each other. They're a lot more inconspicuous than the Dino Morphers around your wrist would be, so just remember not to lose them or forget them anywhere."

He put Conner's on his left wrist, giving Ethan and Kira theirs to do the same.

"Come on, Punk. It's time for my students to go home. And you need to apologize to Mommy."

"No!"

"Doctor Oliver, do you mind?" Kira asked.

"Give it your best if you think you can get her to let Conner go, Kira," he replied.

"Hey, Emmie. How about you let us go home tonight and the next time we come over I'll bring you a DVD of Conner playing soccer for you to watch. This way, even when he's not here, you can feel like he's here," Kira said.

"Okay," Emmie said after a minute, letting Conner go.

"How did you…" Doctor Oliver asked, as he picked his daughter up.

"I figured she didn't want to let go of who she thought was a cute boy. So, I also figured the promise of a video of him for when he's not around would be a good incentive to let him go… We would need to make it for her, after all."

"Not bad… Especially since your file says you're an only child," Doctor Oliver said. "Do you baby-sit?"

"Not in the last two years… I um… I…" Kira started saying.

"She can't tell you if she baby-sat before that and neither myself nor Conner really knew her before now," Ethan finished for her so she wouldn't have to.

 **A Few Days Later:**

"Excuse the Punk, Mr. Baliton. My wife… well…, that doesn't matter. We were cut off from you explaining how you still have your powers and why you're so interested in one of my students a few days ago," Doctor Oliver said to Merrick, who was sitting across from him in the Dino Thunder Ranger Command Center.

"Right, I was trying to tell you when you got called away," Merrick agreed. "I kept my powers because of an agreement with Princess Shayla. As for why the two Wild Zords who had chosen a different Ranger to be their guardian, they have a strong allegiance to the path I am on. Which is why I have been allowed to keep my powers, Doctor Oliver."

"Yes, but what does this agreement and path have to do with my student?" Doctor Oliver asked.

"Your student, Kira Ford, not only does she only have memories for about two, two and a half years, but she is one of your Power Rangers, isn't she?" Merrick asked.

"How do you know all of this?"

"Has she confided in you about the man in her dreams? Why she doesn't let herself sleep? Have you wondered where she has learned how to fight as well as she does?"

"Again, how do you know all of this, Mr. Baliton?"

"Dr. Oliver, if I am correct, my path may have led me to Reefside because Kira is the _end_ of my path and I _alone_ can answer these questions."

"Explain. Now. Don't make me regret letting you into my home, into my base of command, around my child, Mr. Baliton. Because, make no mistake, if you are not crystal clear of your intentions, you will be sorry you came to Reefside."

"Kick his butt, Daddy!" Emmie shouted.

"Not now, Punk," Doctor Oliver said to his daughter as he held her close to him.

"I will explain everything. Just, keep an open mind about what I am about to say. I am over 3,000 years old. And just as you have a stake in keeping your student safe, so do I," Merrick said before he explained everything.

After he told Doctor Oliver what happened in Animaria, how he and Caelia had been separated because of the magic Shayla taught her, his curse, the breaking of his curse coinciding with her being found in a coma in the woods, Doctor Oliver was shocked. He knew what Merrick was telling him would account for some of the things Kira could do that she couldn't explain. It would also explain why, no matter what kind of therapy her mother had tried, no memories were ever recovered from before her coma. He had found that much out about her from the school counselor and her records.

"So you're basically telling me that my student, Kira Ford, may actually be your sister from a kingdom that fell almost 3,000 years ago, Caelia?" Doctor Oliver asked.

"Yes, I am," Merrick replied.

"Why do you think it is her?"

"I know she doesn't really talk about it to anyone, but I've been in her dreams, in her mind. I've seen her. The day she and your other two Rangers found their Dino Gems, I was pulled into her mind. That was the day I was in Silver Hills with Wes and Eric when that happened. I saw them retrieve the Gems from in this room. When they got attacked, I saw the creatures, I felt her surprise at how easily she was able to fight, her confusion because she knew _Kira Ford_ had never so much as taken a self-defense class. So I used all my will-power to stay in her mind when her nerves calmed down after the fight, to see if there was _anything_ that could give me a clue to her whereabouts. That's when you met up with them. They called you Doctor Oliver.

"When I was fully aware in my own mind I explained to Wes and Eric what I had seen. I asked if they knew anyone named Doctor Oliver who was a teacher. They mentioned you and that they had gone on the Moon Mission with you. I had worked with them in Turtle Cove before that Mission, which is how I knew them and why I'd gone to them so I could see if they could help me. So Wes decided to call you. When he finally came back after the call, he told me about you and Kira. That was when I knew I was right," Merrick said. "Kira must be Caelia."

"You can't just know that."

"That is why I have the Bear Brothers. Now that I am here in Reefside, where I am sure my sister is, they should be able to tell me if Kira is truly Caelia. They had chosen her as their guardian long ago. She connected with them in a way that not even Taylor could. They saved her life from the toxins the Orgs were releasing around the kingdom and again when they got her to safety to perform that spell that separated us. When a Wild Zord chooses a guardian, the bond is soul-deep. Even if Kira does not remember being Caelia, the Bear Brothers will know."

"You can't just throw her life into a tailspin. That's not fair to her. She did that to herself when she took the Yellow Dino Gem. Now she's balancing her music, school, home life, and being a Power Ranger, while keeping her life as a Ranger a secret. You need to be careful about the way you handle this. You can't just blurt this out to her."

"I understand, Doctor Oliver," Merrick said.

"Call me Tommy."

"Then please, call me Merrick. Nobody has ever called me Mr. Baliton before."

"Alright, Merrick. We'll take this slowly. Let's introduce the two of you, see how she reacts to you, how these Bear Brothers react to her. And then we'll figure out how to take it from there."

"That seems fair. If I've found her, which I'm certain I finally have, my priority is that she is safe. Beyond that, we can take things slowly. My Wild Zords and I will be at your call to help your team in the meantime. And, I should warn you, Zen-Aku is in Reefside. When I left Turtle Cove he came with me, wanting to redeem himself for all the wrong he has done. He has proven that, even unsupervised, he can be trusted. When I stayed in Blue Bay Harbor, he infiltrated Lothor's crew and fed information to me to pass onto the Wind Ninja Rangers."

"He's your responsibility. If he gets out of line, you're accountable, Merrick. My team isn't prepared to handle Orgs."

"I understand."

 **A Few Days Later, School Hours, Hayley's CyberSpace:**

Merrick walked into Hayley's CyberSpace. He had felt on the wind something was wrong. Following the wind, it led him to the café. Once he walked inside, a red-haired woman walked over to him.

"You must be Merrick Baliton. I'm Hayley Ziktor. Tommy told me all about you. Can I get you something to drink while we discuss what brings you here?" Hayley said to him.

"Um…" Merrick said, unsure of what she even served there.

"Tommy said you come from Animaria. I assume that means you like fruits?" Hayley asked.

Merrick nodded.

"How about a coconut smoothie? Or strawberry banana? That is one of the more popular ones here," she suggested.

"Coconut is fine, thank you, Ms. Ziktor."

"Please, call me Hayley. Have a seat and I'll come talk to you when it's ready. This is a good time to come in to talk. The kids are still in school, so it's pretty quiet for now," Hayley said.

Hayley made the smoothie, bringing herself a cup of coffee and came to the table. After making sure that nothing spilled over from Merrick's cup, she put a straw into his smoothie and then sat across from him.

"So, I'm guessing this isn't just a social visit?" Hayley got right to the point.

"No, I'm afraid it's not," Merrick replied. "Have you seen or heard from Tommy since Friday?"

"Actually, now that you've mentioned it, he was supposed to be here for Kira's gig on Friday night, but he never showed. That's not like Tommy. If he tells someone he's going to do something, he may be late but he shows up."

"I felt trouble on the wind this morning. It's been there for the last day or two, but it was minor. This morning it grew, it became something that shouldn't be ignored."

"You think something happened to Tommy?"

"Are Conner, Ethan, and Kira alright?"

"I saw them last night."

"Then it must be Tommy."

"Let me check the security footage for the café. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Hayley got up and left. Merrick drank some of the smoothie. It was different than anything he had ever tasted before. He enjoyed it. Not long after he finished his smoothie, Haylie returned.

"You were right. I found something on the security footage from Friday night. Tommy was on his way here, when He was grabbed by Tyrannodrones. Mesogog has him and has for over two days."

"He must be running out of time. That must be why the trouble I felt on the wind was so much stronger today."

"We're going to have to find Conner, Ethan, and Kira when they get out of school today. Only they can help him."

"Technically, I can as well, Hayley."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, Tommy didn't tell you _everything_ ," Merrick said to her, pulling up the sleeve of his Howling Wolf jacket. "I still have my Morpher and my Wild Zords."

"So maybe you can help. But so can Conner, Ethan, and Kira. Aren't you and Kira siblings?" Hayley asked.

"I am certain, but Tommy and I agreed that I should ease into telling her that. I haven't even physically met her since I've come to Reefside. I've only watched her from a distance to make sure she's safe."

"Well, I don't know about telling her that you're her brother, but you're definitely meeting her today."

 **Later that Day, Dino Thunder Command Center:**

Conner, Ethan, and Kira were watching Tommy's diary of his life as a Power Ranger. They were having trouble processing it.

"So our teacher is the oldest living Power Ranger," Conner said.

"Not the oldest, just the best," Hayley said from behind them.

" _I_ may actually be the oldest living Power Ranger, active or inactive," the man beside Hayley said to the teenagers.

Kira stayed slightly behind Conner and Ethan as they approached Hayley and the man she knew from her dreams… Merrick. She had tried to pretend he was a dream for all this time, but here he was, standing in front of her, clear as day. There was no denying he was real now. Not with him standing next to Hayley.

"And you are?" Conner asked.

"Merrick Baliton, Lunar Wolf Ranger, Wild Force Rangers," the man replied, and Kira knew her dreams were real… but was he really her brother. "And you three are?"

"Conner McKnight," Conner replied. "Red Dino Thunder Ranger. This is Ethan James, Blue Ranger, and Kira Ford, Yellow Ranger."

Something in his pocket started glowing. Ethan was the first to notice it.

"Hey, Merrick, what's glowing in your pocket?" Ethan asked him.

Merrick reached into his pants and pulled out two crystals. Kira recognized them from her dreams. They were connected to… A bright light flashed before everyone's eyes and when it died down there were two bears in the Command Center with them. A black bear and a polar bear. Their eyes were on Kira.

As the bears moved forward, Ethan and Conner jumped back in surprise. As much as Kira wanted to move, something made her stay where she was. They kept getting closer to her.

"Kira get away from them," Ethan said.

"Yeah, bears eat people," Conner agreed.

Kira noticed that Merrick was holding Hayley back. Ethan and Conner were pretty far behind her. Everybody's eyes were on her at that moment, especially Merrick's. She could feel his eyes on her, as if they were trying to search her soul.

When the two bears got to her, they rubbed against her and that was when Kira realized she was right about them all along. They were Wild Zords… From Animaria. These were the Zords that she had seen in her dream when she had done some spell that put her to sleep. They had stayed around her to keep her warm as she slept. They had protected her. They had saved her life when she was sick from toxins. But was it real or was it a dream?

" _Finally, we have found you, Caelia,"_ Kira heard a voice in her head.

" _Yes, we_ had _to leave you, but our spirits were always with you,"_ another voice said in her head.

Kira looked at the bears. She thought she was hallucinating.

"Are you two…?" she started to ask.

" _Yes,"_ the polar bear said, she knew because it seemed as though he was nodding at her.

" _We are your Bear Brothers. You are our chosen guardian. As we chose you to protect us, we choose to protect you,"_ the black bear said, as it rubbed against her leg.

"Um… thanks?" Kira replied.

" _There is much you do not remember, Caelia. But you will,"_ the polar bear, who was standing on his hind legs now, said to her. _"We will be here to help you as you remember, Caelia. No harm shall befall you."_

With that, the Bear Brothers disappeared in bright lights and in Kira's left hand were the two crystals Merrick had originally pulled out of his pocket.

"I guess I should be giving these back to you?" she asked him as she went to give him the crystals back.

"No, Kira. The Bear Brothers have found their chosen guardian. The crystals are yours to hold onto," Merrick said.

"Um… Kira… were you talking to those bears before they disappeared?" Ethan asked.

"They were talking to me… didn't you guys hear…?" Kira started.

"Kira, not everybody can understand or communicate with Wild Zords. Always their chosen guardians can understand, but not all Wild Zords can be understood by all," Merrick explained.

Kira just stared at Merrick, not saying anything to him at first.

"But I haven't…" Kira started. "I understood them. And I suspect you know what they said to me, Merrick. Is it true?"

"I've suspected it for over two years. I've been looking for you, Kira," Merrick said. "But yes, the Bear Brothers reacting the way they did just confirmed my suspicions."

"So you're my… and my mom and my life are…" Kira tried to form the thoughts, but she couldn't.

Even though she had the dreams and suspected they had been true for all this time, this information didn't make anything any easier. She couldn't process it. They had to focus on Doctor O. He had been missing since Friday.

"Not now," Kira said. "I can't do this now, Merrick. We need to find Doctor O. Hayley, what do you know about all of this?"

Hayley explained about how she knew Tommy, what she knew about the Dino Thunder Rangers, how she was _involved_ with the Dino Thunder Rangers, and even how Merrick could help. She showed them the surveillance footage from the café she had shown Merrick earlier in the day. Then, unsure of what else to do, she showed the teenagers more of their Power Ranger heritage.

After they had learned about the Time Force Rangers, Hayley started to look into invisiportals. The teenagers asked about the Time Force Rangers being able to help because they could time travel. Merrick informed them that all they would really be able to tell them is a general idea of when or if they would find Tommy. When they asked how he knew, he explained he had been with the Red and Quantum Rangers from that team before coming to Reefside. At that point Hayley got kicked out of Mesogog's system, so she put on the record of the Power Rangers again. This time, it showed his team.

"Hey Merrick, isn't this your team?" Conner asked just before Tommy mentioned him as the last member to join the team.

"Yes, it was. I am the only one with power now. They all surrendered their Growl Phones to Princess Shayla when she took the Animarium back into the skies," Merrick replied.

"So why did she let you keep _your_ powers?" Ethan asked.

"A long time ago, when Animaria still existed, before the Animarium was lifted into the sky the first time, Princess Shayla helped someone I loved dearly learn a spell that would put her into a suspended sleep. This sleep would last until the war with the Orgs was over and I could reunite with her. But things turned bad in the war. In an act of desperation to save my people, my friends, my fellow warriors, I donned the cursed mask of the Duke Org, Zen-Aku. When I turned my Wild Zords Dark, I became cursed and, ultimately, my fellow warriors entombed me in a cement coffin, sealing me in the Earth, where I stayed dormant for 3,000 years. All the time that I was cursed and entombed, she was still in that suspended sleep. So when my curse was broken, I made a deal with Shayla. I would help finish what I failed to finish in Animaria, stop the Orgs. But when it was over, I kept my Lunar Caller, Wild Zords, and the Bear Brothers to find my loved one that she taught this magic to without telling me. I didn't find out until it was too late to do anything, even say a real goodbye. All I've had of her for all of these years was this, our mother's ring, something she had never taken off until she wrote me a letter explaining what she and Shayla had done behind my back," Merrick explained. "That is why I am the only Wild Force Ranger who still has their powers and their Wild Zords."

Kira looked at the ring around his neck. She knew it well. Anytime her mother was brought up, she instinctively reached for it, knowing it was what _truly_ connected her to her mother, that it was the _only_ piece of her mother she still had. She had never been able to tell anyone that. They wouldn't believe her if she said her parents were dead and she had a brother that was missing.

The information about the Wild Force Rangers finished playing and Hayley mentioned she knew there was at least one other group of Rangers, with a guy named Cam who knew more about things than she did. Conner, surprising everyone, suggested typing in Ninja Storm. When Hayley did, they found out about the Wind and Thunder Ninja Rangers and then Cam, the Green Samurai Ranger.

"They won't be much help, except perhaps with tech," Merrick started. "You're right, Hayley. Cam is a genius with that. But none of the six of them have their powers anymore. Their powers were lost to the Abyss of Evil when they sealed Lothor in."

"How do you know so much about them?" asked Conner.

"I spent some time with them. I helped them out while I was there. Cam was trying to help me track my sister. It was the Ninjas and their Sensei who made me realize that for someone who practiced sorcery 3,000 years ago to go dormant, when they woke an energy wave would be released that would be able to be traced because of how large it would be," Merrick replied.

"Are there any Rangers you _don't_ know?" Ethan asked.

"I now know four teams, including my own. Is that a big deal?" Merrick asked.

"To us it is," Ethan said. "We're still running blind here."

"I offered my assistance to Tommy. I have my Predazord and my powers, if you are ever in need, I am willing to assist."

"What's a Predazord?" Conner asked.

"The Megazord combination of my three Wild Zords, the Wolf, Alligator, and Hammerhead Shark Wild Zords."

"It sounds wicked," Conner said.

"Its chest bites… literally. The Alligator Wild Zord's face is in the Predazord's chest. It can literally bite."

"That sounds _awesome_!" Ethan exclaimed.

Conner showed off some of the moves his brother, who had flunked out of Ninja school taught him. In the process, he knocked the computers offline. Everyone was going to get angry at him, but in the long run it helped Hayley get into Mesogog's invisiportal system. She found an invisiportal they could use and showed them how they were going to get the necessary speed to get through it… They had new Raptor Cycles.

"I'm going with them," Merrick said suddenly.

"Are you sure?" Hayley said.

"Yes. I will be there to back them up in case they are ambushed."

"But you need something that can reach the specified speeds."

"Don't worry about that. I got it covered," Merrick said as he tossed one of his crystals. "Wolf Savage Cycle!"

Hayley and the teenagers looked at the Savage Cycle in awe.

"You can seriously turn your Wild Zord into a bike?" Conner asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Nothing… it's just awesome!"

Hayley ran a scanner over the Savage Cycle. She nodded in approval when the specs appeared on-screen.

"Well, this can run even faster than I thought. I'm linking it to our mainframe, so I can program and reprogram it with coordinates to get you in and out with the others. Just be sure to hit the right speeds, Merrick."

"I will."

"Kira, are you sure you can handle having Merrick along?" Hayley asked.

Kira looked from Merrick to Conner and Ethan, who were all but drooling on him.

"Why would she have a problem, Hayley?" Ethan asked.

"Because, Ethan, the story about the loved one he told you?" Kira asked.

"What about it?"

"It's me. He's been looking for me. That's what the Bear Brothers told me. I'm Merrick's long-lost sister from 3,000 years ago, Caelia," she snapped before looking at Hayley. "Yeah, Hayley, I'll be fine. I should've known this was coming. Whatever. This isn't about him. It's about Doc O. We need to get him back and _fast._ "

"Wait," Conner said. "You're Kira's brother? Since when does she have a brother?"

"Apparently 3,000 years ago, Conner. Now, let's go!" Kira snapped, annoyed at the boys. "Dino Thunder! Power Up!"


End file.
